


(the tiniest bit of) Freedom

by Bugggghead



Series: Bughead Drabbles & One Shots [15]
Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Camp Bughead, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Jughead loves food, One Shot, Post graduation road trip, because of course Jughead loves food, it got away from me, it was supposed to be a drabble but oh well, lots and lots of fluff, runaways - Freeform, taste of freedom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 01:24:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15256353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugggghead/pseuds/Bugggghead
Summary: Betty and Jughead decide to take a road trip immediately following their high school graduation.Who needs maps when the interstate travels south?





	(the tiniest bit of) Freedom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [a92vm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/a92vm/gifts).



> Thanks @peaceblessingspeyton for always making time to look over my wild ideas. You are a gift. 
> 
> This started out as a drabble and hit over 1k words so I think it's technically a one shot? Who knows? 
> 
> @a952vm's prompts -  
> 44\. “I uhhhh locked the keys in my car.”  
> 47\. “We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere.”  
> 65\. “Try me.”
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

The wind whipped through her loose curls, twisting the strands in the same breeze that felt as if it held the tiniest bit of freedom. Her graduation cap laid forgotten in the backseat of the car, alongside her placeholder diploma, the one Principal Weatherbee had handed her just that morning as she walked across the stage. 

 

Jughead was the one who originally suggested it, suggested a road trip the second they graduated. They weren’t going to go far, they were just going to  _ go. _ They had often talked about running away, but even that day at Pop’s, before everything imploded, when they joked about living happily ever after instead, they both knew it wasn’t really possible. A road trip, however, was, especially complete with the new guise of freedom they both attained hours before. After the last few years filled with events so crazy, they were past the point of unbelievable, just  _ going  _ sounded better and better each day. 

 

She had finally agreed a few days before, informing her mother of both her legal ability to make her own decisions and the plan, all in one well thought out and painstakingly practiced speech. They would be gone for about a week, maybe a little longer. In a surprising move, Alice agreed, without much protest and only a simple warning to ‘stay safe and be prepared for anything’.

 

Watching the road signs whiz by on the highway, a few hundred miles south of Riverdale, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. 

 

Jughead’s stomach grumbled loudly, eliciting a small giggle from her as she realized they hadn’t eaten since they’d hit the road hours earlier. 

 

“I saw a sign a few miles back for a Mexican restaurant in Baltimore. We could pull off if you want.”

 

“Mmm, burritos.”

 

She giggled again, knowing the decision was made and pulled up her navigation app, typing in the name of the Blue Agave before setting it on the dash so he could follow.

 

-

 

They were sat at a table, staring at the lucha libre masks adorning one of the far walls. The waiter came up, shifting their focus to him as he handed them both menus and took their drink order before walking toward the kitchen.

 

“Do you see this?!” He sounded excited as he pushed the menu toward Betty, cracked open to a page somewhere toward the back. 

 

There was a full page picture of a plate with a monstrous burrito and the words ‘challenge’ and ‘free meal’ briefly registered before she looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Do you think that’s really a good idea, Juggie? We’re on a  _ road trip _ .” She tried to sound merely suggestive, but the challenging look she saw in his eyes said her words fell on deaf ears.

 

“I think a free meal is  _ always _ a good idea, Betts.”

 

“Can you eat all of that?” she asked, her voice a bit more upbeat this time, resigned to his resolve, knowing he never  _ could _ turn down a free meal. Especially after years of not knowing where his next one might come from. 

 

“Try me,” he said with a wink.

 

-

 

He had finished it. All of it. The entire burrito was gone in 18 minutes flat. The challenge allowed a 30 minute time limit, but he licked the plate clean with 12 minutes to spare. It wasn’t just a normal burrito either, no that wouldn’t make much of a challenge. It weighed over five pounds and was stuffed with chorizo and topped with a generous helping of red sauce - so much read sauce. They were a few hours south of Baltimore when she heard his stomach grumble once more.

 

“You’re kidding, right?” She turned to look at him with a smile on her face. “You’re hungry again?”

 

Jughead pursed his lips, shaking his head lightly. “Nope. Definitely not hungry.”

 

“Oh.” Betty instantly knew she had been right. 

 

Even for someone with a steel stomach like Jughead, devouring a five pound burrito in a matter of minutes was bound to cause indigestion. Especially the red sauce. All of that red sauce. “There’s a rest stop in less than a mile. We can pull off.”

 

-

 

She was sitting at a covered table near where he parked the car. They had both gone to the bathrooms at the same time but he had stayed long past the time she washed her hands and exited. So she found purchase on the bench. He had the keys anyway and it was a beautiful day. 

 

Freedom felt good. Even if it was just for a week. Even if it was largely unplanned, ‘just going with the flow’ as Jughead had called it. Most of their classmates were probably at the Five Seasons. Cheryl and Veronica were co-hosting a post graduation bash. Neither had been happy when Betty politely declined the invitation. All of their ‘pleases’ were for naught. Her mind was made up before they ever even asked. She wanted to think they were all well on their way to happily inebriated, celebrating their new independence and reminiscing over the last few years in the way one only could on graduation day. She was sure the nostalgia was thick in the hotel’s penthouse suite, littered with other seniors now on the cusp of the rest of their lives.

 

Jughead came up behind her, sliding onto the bench next to her and pulling her from her thoughts. “Hey.” He nudged her shoulder and they shared a soft smile.

 

“Hey. Are you feeling better?”

 

“I am. My stomach has returned to its former glory and that burrito did not defeat me, despite your warning.”

 

She laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Where do you want to stop tonight?”

 

His arm came up to wrap around her shoulder, tugging her close as they both stared at the scenery just beyond the rest stop. She had no idea where exactly they were and the lack of a plan, which was beyond uncharacteristic for Betty, felt liberating. She knew they were somewhere in Virginia, but the specifics were irrelevant.

 

“I think we should just drive.” His answer was simple.

 

So was hers. “Okay.”

 

He kissed her forehead before they got up, hands entangled as they made their way back to the car. She was standing by her side, waiting for the door to unlock so she could duck in. But it didn’t. Instead, he looked up, eyes wide and wearing an almost embarrassed expression.

 

“I uhhhhhh locked the keys in the car.”

 

Her inquiry was immediate. “Are you serious right now?”

 

“Serious as a serial killer documentary. Looks like we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, baby. I guess I wasn’t thinking when we stopped. I just really,  _ really _ had to get out.”

 

Betty thought for a moment. She couldn't blame him. She heard the way his stomach rumbled, loud and angry, as if it wanted to jump right out of his body. In no time, she had a plan. “First off, Juggie,” she said sweetly, making her way over to him and leaning against the car, “we are not in the middle of nowhere.” With a few quick swipes of her finger across her phone, she pulled up their exact location. “We are in Ladysmith, Virginia. Second, I would just pick the lock myself but I didn’t bring any tools and even if I had, they’d be locked in the car right now, too. So, it’s a good thing my mom has AAA.”

 

Jughead looked at her in that instant as if she had the cure to cancer. His earlier resignation and subsequent apologetic behavior was replaced with a smirk twisting at the corner of his lips as he leaned down. His lips met hers for a quick second, pressing just a bit before he pulled back. “You are a genius, Betty Cooper.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr @bugggghead


End file.
